Do storybooks really break children's gender stereotypes?

DO STORYBOOKS REALLY BREAK CHILDREN’S GENDER STEREOTYPES? Gender stereotypes—the features and characteristics assigned to men and women in a particular society—are prevalent in children as young as the preschool years (Martin and Ruble, 2004). For example, preschoolers can categorize toys as appropriate for either girls (e.g., dishset) or boys (e.g., toolset), and play with them according to gender expectations (Raag and Rackliff, 1998). Many factors have been linked to the display and development of gender stereotypes in children, including the role of storybooks in shaping children’s gender stereotypes (Jennings, 1975; Ashton, 1983; TrepanierStreet et al., 1990; Green et al., 2004). Storybooks are believed to help children understand the roles of men and women in society by reinforcing children’s ideas about gender roles (i.e., what is typically appropriate for men and women) or, alternatively, by challenging these stereotypical gender roles. But, do storybooks really break children’s gender stereotypes? In addressing this question, we briefly review literature that suggests storybooks can challenge children’s gender stereotypes, discuss questions left unanswered by the current literature, and set the path for future research by arguing that researchers need to examine mechanisms affecting children’s interpretations of gendered information in storybooks. STORYBOOKS CHALLENGE CHILDREN’S GENDER STEREOTYPES: THE EVIDENCE READING GENDER-ATYPICAL STORYBOOKS INCREASES PLAY WITH GENDER-ATYPICAL TOYS Children prefer to play with toys stereotypically associated with their own sex, even before the age of three (O’Brien and Huston, 1985). However, some studies suggest that gender-atypical storybooks (e.g., storybooks where characters display behaviors usually associated with the opposite sex) can lead to changes in children’s play behavior, even in children with the most stereotypical play behavior (Ashton, 1983; Green et al., 2004). In one study, 2–5-year-olds who were read a storybook about a same-sex child engaged in play with a gender-atypical toy immediately showed increased play with genderatypical toys (e.g., girl participant hears a story about a girl playing with a dump truck and immediately increases play with trucks; Ashton, 1983). More recently, the play behavior of eight preschoolers identified as those with the most stereotypical play behavior was observed across 4 months (Green et al., 2004). During this time, children were exposed to two storybooks in which characters displayed gender-atypical toy play. For some children these gender-atypical storybooks resulted in significant, stable changes in their play behavior, with children showing increased play with gender-atypical toys and decreased play with gender stereotypical toys. These studies suggest that exposure to gender-atypical characters and behaviors in storybooks may impact children’s immediate and future play behavior.